STAR WARS: THE CYBERTRONIAN CHRONICLES: THE FALLEN
by DhuryamDhuryam
Summary: After losing Kuat to the Decepticons, Corellia has become the Capital of the Galactic Alliance. Megatronus Prime had the Allspark in his grasp, and has returned to claim it. Meanwhile new Autobots, including Sentinel Prime. aboard the Ark, show up. Something may happen between Darth Krayt and Queen Mother Athena.
1. Chapter 1

**Cybertron**

Cybertron was a world of hexagons. Hexagonal girders, woven together to form so many hexagonal holes. A forest of mostly dark green, and some moderately dark gray. A fair amount of this had been reprogrammed, creating roads, plazas, and buildings, among other things.

Two mechanical men stood upon one of many hexagonal plazas, within the shadow of a nondescript space scraper, deep in conversation.

One of them almost blended into their surroundings. Most of his armor was a silver gray. The underlying machinery was an almost mint-like green. A pair of gray horns protruded from his temples, and curved forward and up. A pair of orange optics burned in the darkness.

The other was a very dark, almost black, gray. He was somewhat boxy, with some thin, inset, lines of softly glowing yellow orange light. A small sort of elongated grill rose from his forehead, and was framed by a pair of smallish, inward-bent horns. A long blaster barrel was attached to his back, and offset a bit to the right.

"Our fellow Cybertronians have refused to realize their true potential," the longer-horned one, Liege Maximo, was saying. "We have the power to build a great empire, one which could span this entire galaxy. The organics would worship us as gods. And compared to those pathetic mortals, that is exactly what we are. But our fellow Guardians, Megatronus, fear greatness, they believe it will inevitably lead to corruption.

"But what is corruption?" Maximo asked, rhetorically. "Is it some inner strength. Some realization about the nature of morality. Or something more, something deeper. Greatness is suspended there before us like some forbidden fruit. All we need to do is partake."

"And we will," Megatronus Prime assured him. "My watch with Solus Prime at the Sacred Chamber begins soon. That's when I'll take the Allspark. We'll place it within this his tower beside us. We'll use the Force, rather than fear it. The nature of my relationship with Solus means she will not be suspicious when I get close to her. Close enough that she will be unable to defend herself."

"I pity you, Megatronus. Having to betray the woman you love," Maximo said.

"What other choice is there? We both know she would never accept your words of enlightenment. She is so devoted to the traditions of the Quintessons that she shares their fear of the power of the Force." Megatronus let out an electronic sound of disgust. "She follows the ways of a vanquished enemy!"

"The Quintessons were also our creators."

"Unicron's demonic horns, Max! They were monsters, and we should not honor them."

"I only bring light in order to illuminate the truth," Maximo replied calmly.

"My outburst was not directed at you," Megatronus apologized.

"Think nothing of it, brother. You are faced with a difficult situation."

"I should depart," Megatronus said, wanting to put an end to this conversation. "When I return, the... Decepticons will have the power of the Force."

Maximo frowned slightly at the mildly ridiculous name. "I prefer 'Destron'," he suggested.

"Either is fine," Megatronus allowed. His upper legs expanded, allowing the lower legs to fold up into them. The feet reconfigured themselves into cowlings for the engines in his calves. His arms became wings, each with a weapons pod. A sort of cockpit formed around his head, and the blaster barrel repositioned itself beneath him. Megatronus rocketed away from the plaza even as he finished the final stages of his transformation.

 **Sacred Chamber**

"You are a bit late, 'Tronus," commented Solus Prime, standing in the doorway off the chamber. She was the most beautiful being he'd ever seen. Her optics were a vibrant gold-yellow. Most of her armor segments were outlined in a vibrant purple-pink, around a light, almost white, violet. There were also some finer details in a medium blue. The machinery beneath was a gold-bronze color, along with some medium blue tubing.

Her right hand possessed eight long, slender fingers, resembling spider legs. On the forearm was an energy weapon. In place of a a left hand was a gold-bronze colored hammer, the Star Hammer. There were three crests, each of which tapered to a small point, down the back of her head. And on Solus' back was a pair of magnificent wings, each with a small pair of energy weapons at the ends.

Megatronus recalled his first few minutes of consciousness. It was odd, suddenly being conscious, after not being before. It was mildly traumatic, like being awoken from a great slumber. But he supposed every sentient being had a moment like that.

There were twelve others with him. Beings of alloy armor and complex machinery. They all unique, but one stood out far more than the others. This one was different. This one's armor paneling was more curved, and the waist was a bit narrow. Megatronus did not understand the significance at first. Eventually, it dawned on him that this being to whom he found himself so drawn was a female. This truth, for some odd reason, did not seem to register to the others.

That had been the first time he'd seen her. And this would be the last.

"I came across a potential anomaly I had to investigate. It turned out to be nothing. But we all know if I hadn't taken a closer look that it would have happened to be an entire Quintesson war fleet."

"Of course," Solus said, with a laugh. Megatronus suddenly embraced her, and kissed her. She pulled away a short moment later. "We are at work, my love," she softly scolded.

"Give me something to look forward to, and I'll do my job even better."

"Very cute, 'Tronus. Now get to work." The beautiful Cybertronian woman turned to head to her station... A great bolt of energy suddenly leapt from the muzzle of his shoulder-mounted energy weapon. The energy beam tore through her. She let out an electronic shriek of agony as she was separated at the waist, and shrapnel and machinery sprayed out in all directions. Her optics flickered, and then went dark, as her broken body fell to the floor.

Megatronus stared at Solus' broken body for a long moment. He could scarcely process the fact that he'd just murdered the woman who'd been his spark mate for thousands of years. He hated to imagine an eternity without her, but he'd had no choice. If the Cybertronians were to become the gods they had been created to be, then sacrifices would have to be made. Megatronus' lover had been the first.

Tearing his optics from Solus' corpse, Megatronus Prime turned to the Allspark, sitting upon its pedestal. He could feel its power, radiating almost like heat. His chest irised open as he picked up the glowing bronze-gold cube. Megatronus placed it within his chest; all sorts of machinery began connecting to the Allspark as his chest closed up.

The incredible power of the Force began to burn through Megatronus' mechanized body. He quickly morphed into his vehicular form, and silently blasted out of the airless chamber, into Cybertron's lack of an atmosphere. Already, he could sense that his fellow guardians knew someone had united with the Allspark. They would be obligated to kill him.

Megatronus hated himself for what he had done. He allowed his emotions to bleed out into the Force, and they came back to him in the form of raw power. So he focused on these negative emotions, amplifying them, and feeding them back into the Force.

His speed increased as the Force flowed through him. He put up a deflector shield to guard his aft. And as with everything else, it was more powerful with the Force. Why the Pit were most of his fellow Cybertronians so afraid...

Megatronus' musings were interrupted as he felt several impacts against his shield. To his mild surprise, this caused no damage. He continued to pull ahead. In a few minutes he'd be out of their sensor range, and then he'd head to that space scraper. There the Allspark could be hidden from his and Maximo's fellow Guardians.

He was aware that something had gone wrong when the burning of the Force's power started to become... painful. A fire seemed to be spreading throughout his body, and he began to fear suffering a catastrophic overload. The pit slagging Allspark was fighting back!

His shield generator sparked as the cube sought to kill him. As much as Megatronus hated to let go of this power, he'd hate even more to be destroyed by it. So he allowed his chest to iris back open, and ejected the cursed cube back out into space. He positioned himself in front of the Allspark, knowing his pursuers wouldn't risk destroying it with their own fire.

Megatronus changed course, now heading out of Cybertron's mass shadow. He had murdered the woman he had loved for thousands of years for... absolutely slagging nothing! The others would still have the Allspark, and now it would be guarded even more heavily. All Megatronus had done was make things worse. It would be so easy to just end it all. To lower his deflector shield, and let them kill him. His deflector shield heaved violently as the other guardians of the Allspark opened fire.

No! Unicron torment them all! Megatronus would fight like the Pit to save himself. He shouldn't have to die for doing, or at least trying to do, what was necessary.

Megatronus' energy reserves were running dangerously low. One more hit could end it all. He felt himself leaving Cybertron's mass shadow. He suddenly deactivated his deflector shield, and engaged his hyperdrive. But before he could enter the safety of hyperspace he suffered a hit to his port engine. It exploded, and he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Deep space**

Three flashes of light interrupted the lifeless, star spangled void of space before resolving themselves into a trio of _Imperator_ -class Star Destroyers. A meter or so above the _Lecersen's_ flight deck floated what resembled a giant eye framed by a pair of bat wings. The Sith Lord Darth Krayt sat cross legged within the Sith Meditation Sphere, known as _Ship_. He stretched out in the Force with his mind. Searching for someone who'd slumbered for millions of years. Someone who, according to Megatron, might hardly seem alive at all.

As Krayt's perception combed the void, he came across a nearly imperceptible bump. He allowed his mind to gently brush up against this subtle disturbance. It was clearly mechanical, and had the faintest spark of life. The human Sith Lord commed Megatron. "I believe I have located our friend, my lord."

"Good work, Krayt. I shall let you lead the way," Megatron commed back, leaping into the air, and folding up into his alternate form of a Sith Fury Interceptor. The Decepticon leader followed behind _Ship_ as Darth Krayt led the vessel through the hangar bay's magcon field.

The red-brown interior of the Meditation Sphere appeared to fade away, allowing Darth Krayt a complete view of the space around him, as _Ship_ approached what looked like some sort of fighter. The design was reminiscent of an ancient aerial craft. It was dark gray. There was a wing on either side, each with some sort of weapon pod slung beneath. On the underside of the vessel was a long blaster barrel. The port side engine was heavily damaged. "So this is Megatronus Prime," Krayt commed.

"I believe so," Megatron responded calmly. Though Krayt could sense the Cybertronian's excitement. The leader of the Decepticons had named himself after this hero of his. Darth Krayt brushed against Megatronus' mind, and felt almost nothing. An organic being with such an inactive brain would have been considered brain dead.

* * *

 **Darth Krayt** used the Force to gently lower Megatronus Prime to the _Lecersen's_ flight deck. The Meditation Sphere once again came to hover, and extended the boarding ramp. Krayt walked down it, and over to the slumbering mechanical being. He held his palms about an inch from Megatronus. The Sith Lord reached out to the dark side, letting its power descend upon him. Blue electricity began sparking off of his fingertips, and leapt onto Megatronus' comatose form. Yet the Cybertronian crept no closer to consciousness. It wasn't that Darth Krayt lacked the power, but rather that Force lightning was apparently not how one woke a Cybertronian.

Krayt turned toward Megatron. "We must find another way to wake your friend."

The Decepticon frowned. "The Allspark. We should have it soon enough. If we keep the contact brief, Megatronus should survive."

"Why don't I go back into the Meditation Sphere, and see if the dark side can offer an alternative." At Megatron's nod, Darth Krayt returned to _Ship_ , and resumed his cross-legged position on a floor that resembled razor-sharp rock but was actually a bit spongy. He allowed his mind to drift on currents of the Force. His perception floated away, and became lost.

Darth Krayt's disembodied mind floated over a vast, green world. And strangely, it was a mechanical planet. Two beings, mere shadows, fought upon its surface. One, a master of the Force. The other, a master of the Aether, that ancient, demonic foe of the Force. The angel wielded a sword. The devil, a hammer. The hammer fell upon the sword, shattering it. The sword's hilt, a glowing beacon in the Force, flew off into the great void of space.

And then Darth Krayt was falling from the sky, a star burning with the power of the Force. What world was this? The Sith Lord focused his mind on this question. His perception came to a place where life had been overcome by death. Kesh. Once home to the Lost Tribe of the Sith. Now a massed grave. The Celestials had brought the Aether here to destroy the Tribe. And yet, in some cosmic twist of irony, the key to bringing Megatronus Prime back to life lay here.

As Krayt's perception returned to his body, he recalled the story Megatron had told him of Primus and Unicron. The two brothers had fought over Cybertron, and had both killed each other in the process. But the Decepticon leader had mentioned nothing of the Force or the Aether. This must have been one of the many things the Quintessons had wished to keep hidden from the Cybertronians.

 **Kesh**

Several hours later the _Lecersen_ and its two siblings materialized several kilometers outside Kesh's mass shadow. Darth Krayt experienced a mild wave of nausea; the presence of the Aether was powerful here. He frowned, wondering how he'd find what he and Megatron sought. Well, it would be easier if Krayt were on the planet-sized tomb.

Minutes later Darth Krayt was stepping off the end of _Ship's_ boarding ramp, and onto the surface of Kesh. The pollution of the Aether was almost suffocating on this world. Krayt was used to death merely existing as a lack of life, but what he felt here was an actual presence of... anti-life. Everything seemed oddly washed out, as though even the color had died. He was a bit shocked by how depressing it all was.

The Sith Lord drew on the dark side, and cast it about himself as a sort of cloak, hoping to keep the Aether's stench at bay. The surrounding area seemed to quiver, as the dark side of the Force fought against the Aether. And there was the key. Not to look for the object itself, but to look for the turmoil _around_ it.

So Darth Krayt, once again, resumed his seated position within the Sith Meditation Sphere. The Aether's effect was minimized here, to the point where he didn't feel the need to insulate himself. Nonetheless, he gathered the dark side about himself, using _Ship_ as an amplifier. Krayt looked at Kesh, through the Force. And found something grotesque and bloated, heaving and pulsing with a sickly, yellow-green anti-light. The Sith Lord examined this abomination far longer than he cared to, looking for the slightest, uncharacteristic, hint of a vibration. But the near deafening interference from the amorphous blob's quaking made this a pointless exercise.

There had to be another way; the Force would not have led Krayt here just to mock him with an impossible task. Perhaps he was making this too complicated. Perhaps he just needed to look for something that was different. The Sith Lord brushed his mind against the Aether's texture, and fought the urge to turn away and vomit. He continued to run his mind over this monster's surface, and eventually came across a peculiar hard spot, a sort of callous. To defend against an irritant, something that didn't belong. Such as the Force!

The Force-imbued sword hilt was rapidly growing closer or, rather, the Sith Meditation Sphere was moving closer to _it_. _Ship_ soon stopped, just outside the entrance to a cave. It was shrouded in the dark side, just as Darth Krayt had expected. The Sith Lord, also enveloped in the dark side, exited the ancient ship, and cautiously made his way into the mouth of the cave.

The cold, dry air was stale, as though it hadn't been disturbed for years. Darth Krayt turned on his glow rod, illuminating smooth walls and a floor littered with the bones of small, dead animals. The ground crunched beneath his boots as he approached a small knot of intense dark side energy. It seemed to be calling to him, longing to be freed from the prison Kesh had become. Krayt came to a boulder that almost burned with the Force, and crouched down beside it. Allowing the dark side to guide him, the Sith Lord placed his hands upon the rock. Blue lightning crackled from his hands, forming a net around this rock. It began to vibrate, and then crack. Innumerable chips flaked away, until a beautiful silver object was revealed. It was shaped like two elongated, and somewhat curved pyramids joined end to end. Etched into its surface were soft curves, like the waves of an ocean. An orb of pure white light shone its radiance out through the many gaps left by this filigree. Patched of darkness, like clouds, covered sections of this orb. Both sides of the Force existing in harmony.

Darth Krayt pulled out his comm. "I've found it, my lord."

"I'm on my way, my lord," Megatron responded. Krayt shook his head in mild amusement at how they'd addressed each other. It was a bit odd that a being such as Megatron would have such respect for an organic being. Although Darth Krayt was quite powerful in the Force. Perhaps the Decepticon leader merely respected the Sith Lord's unique abilities. Krayt supposed it didn't much matter, as he used the Force to levitate the giant silver sword hilt.

Krayt was just floating the object out of the cave when a Sith Fury Interceptor came screaming down from the sky. The whole craft turned upside down, and then reassembled itself into giant mechanical man. A pair of crimson optics burned within his demonic face. Megatron glanced at the sword hilt. "This thing has been here for millions of years, yet no one seemed to have found it. Until now."

"It was hiding its presence," Darth Krayt explained, gently lowering the sword hilt to the ground. "When the Aether was brought here, the hilt no longer had a reason to hide. And I doubt it could while insulating itself from the Aether."

Megatron nodded in understanding. He reached his hand toward the hilt, but pulled back when several thin, silvery tendrils tried to make contact with his finger. "I believe we need an alternate transport vessel."

 _ **Lecersen**_ **: en route to Kuat**

The visit to Kesh had left Darth Krayt a bit rattled. He and Megatron had decided it was best to awaken Megatronus Prime far away from that Aether corrupted world. The Sith Lord used the Force to place the sword hilt right beside the slumbering Cybertronian. The silvery tendrils snaked out once again, carefully brushing up against Megatronus as though they were feelers. There was a powerful buildup of Force energy, both dark and light, from the mysterious object. The miniature white sun within grew brighter as solar flares began to erupt along its surface. Megatronus' body started vibrating, and then trembling.

* * *

 **A spark** of light in the utter darkness. The star loomed ever larger as he plunged down toward it. He was cast into that fire, yet it did not burn him. The Force coursed through his body. To empower rather than to smite. An irresistible urge drove him to reconfigure himself into his robot form. He stumbled a bit to the left, and realized his left leg had suffered significant damage.

"Megatronus Prime, the first Decepticon," said a powerful, reverent voice. The recently awoken Cybertronian turned to see a grayish Cybertronian man with fierce features, including fiery red optics.

"Who are you?" Megatronus asked, not sure what was happening. He was standing in a large white-gray room full of ships he'd never encountered before. The majority of them were connected to gantries on the ceiling. These craft were gray, with spherical bodies and two or three wings attached to them. They somewhat resembled eyes. This room was clearly a hangar bay. And the gentle vibrations beneath him told him he was aboard a starship.

"Megatron, a leader of the Decepticons."

"Megatron," Megatronus repeated slowly. "You have named yourself after me," he reasoned.

"Yes, my lord. What you did inspired Liege Maximo to form the Decepticon faction. And Maximo inspired me to join that noble cause."

"I must have been asleep for many ages," Megatronus said.

"There is much you must know," Megatron acknowledged, with a nod.

 **A/N: A section with Darth Krayt has been added to the last chapter of the previous story: Star Wars: The Cybertronian Chronicles: The Unseen War. It relates to this chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Decimator**_

Hapan Queen Mother Athena was waiting with patient anticipation as Megatron and the Sith Meditation Sphere landed on the silver-gray flight deck of her Battle Dragon. She glanced through the magcon field at what she could sense was a second Cybertronian. Megatronus Prime. He was basking in the light of a nearby star. As Megatron had explained earlier, that was how a Cybertronian fed, by turning solar radiation into energon. Ironic that such advanced beings would rely on what was basically photosynthesis. She gently brushed against him in the Force. This Deceticon, the First Deception, felt truly powerful in the Force, as Darth Krayt had said over the comm. Athena couldn't help but smile at this. Megatronus Prime had been presumed dead by all of Cybertron. Not only had he returned, but he now could also use the Force!

The boarding ramp of the Sith Meditation Sphere folded down, and Darth Krayt made his way to the flight deck. He was a somewhat unusual looking man. Much of his face was covered in black tattoos in the form of several thick lines; the two near his forehead met to form a sort of triangle. His right eye was orange, an odd color for a human eye. His left was blue clearly prosthetic. His long dark hair was pulled back into a single braid.

He walked rather slowly, and his posture wasn't as straight as usual. Athena sensed a profound weariness and a numbed horror within him; this had her concerned. What had he gone through? She met his eyes as he walked toward her. On his face was a subtly haunted expression, though it failed to fully reflect what she could feel in the Force.

Krayt seemed to be looking at Athena in a way, as far as she was aware, that he had not before. Well, he was a man. Being a Sith Lord wouldn't change that. She sent him a questioning sense of concern, and received a sense of controlled reassurance. Athena suppressed a sigh; she would have to speak with the man, and see what was troubling him so much.

"So things clearly went well during your... adventure," Athena assumed.

"Yes."

"That is good to hear. I was hoping to speak with you on something. Perhaps you could join me in my quarters after supper this evening."

Krayt allowed a soft sigh to escape his lips. He must have had some idea where this was all going. "Of course. I look forward to it."

* * *

 **Athena's personal** quarters were relatively simple, but very comfortable. As usual the standard glowpanels, installed in the ceiling when the _Decimator_ was built, were turned off. She hated that lifeless, artificial light. Instead a soft orange light, with a hint of red, radiated from several small sconces affixed to the walls. Those walls, painted a mottled tan, with bits of other desert-like colors mixed in, mimicked the natural sandstone found on Geonosis quite well. Under the current lighting the walls were lit as though by a dusk sunset.

A bed and a small side table were the only pieces of furniture in the room. Both were made of Dathomirian red marble wood. The mattress was covered in deep red sheets, which matched the wood. Athena sat here, reading through various reports. They tended to be quite dull. Fortunately she had ancient recordings of Terran tribal music, to help her keep her concentration. Most inhabitants of this galaxy would have called it screamo music.

Athena had removed the lenses which had made her lime-green flecked violet eyes brown. She'd also taken out the retainers which made her appear to have human teeth. She tucked a stray lock of purple hair so dark, it was almost black, behind her ear. She frowned upon not feeling a pointed tip beneath her finger. If only she could magically undo the surgical alterations made to her ears.

Resting within a holster strapped to her upper right leg was a deep purple crystal, about the size of a standard blaster, with glowing flecks of lime-green within. A small lightning storm silently danced inside this modified lambent. Four lengths of a matte-black material were coiled around it. This object could reform into a deadly staff weapon in an instant. It also enabled a Terran to access the power of the Force.

Athena smiled as a curious Darth Krayt reached out to her in the Force. She began to gently nudge the Sith Lord to an alternate entrance into her quarters. It would draw suspicion were he to be seen entering her chambers and remaining for any prolonged length of time. She felt his mildly indignant amusement upon sensing him come to what would look like a normal access panel. A few minutes later, a door hidden within one of the walls silently swung open. Krayt pushed the door closed behind him. "An entrance for secret lovers, eh."

Athena offered up a coy smile. "It wouldn't do for my people to believe I was being seduced by a Sith Lord, now would it?"

Darth Krayt glanced from her rather insubstantial glittering red dress to the substantial bottle of alcohol held in the crook of her right leg. He laughed. "Perhaps you're the one trying to seduce _me_."

"Perhaps I am." The Terran woman's smile broadened, revealing small razor sharp teeth. It did not last long, though. "Are you alright, Lord Krayt?" she asked, her tone suddenly concerned.

Krayt sighed, and began pacing. Crossed on his upper back were a pair of claw-like lightsabers. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that." There was a dark, almost menacing, edge to his voice. But Athena easily saw through it. Behind it all was... fear. There was also a bit of pride; the Sith frowned upon allowing oneself to be vulnerable. Even for a brief moment. This was not healthy. People had to allow themselves to be weak sometimes. Athena needed to help Krayt find the strength to let down his defenses.

"You've experienced psychological trauma," Athena said softly. "Don't be so proud that you refuse to accept help. I need you to be able to function. As do the Sith and the Decepticons."

"So now you're my psychiatrist," he said, glaring at her almost angrily.

"If that's what you need, Lord Krayt. And if you are going to have a psychiatrist be glad it's one you're so attracted to."

"You do have a point," the Sith Lord admitted. He stopped pacing. "Primus' sword hilt was on Kesh."

"The world the Celestials killed with the Aether," Athena recalled.

Krayt nodded. "I had to take my mind in there. I had to... touch it." His voice was full of disgust. And there was a slight waver in his voice.

"And this made you feel... violated."

Krayt nodded fractionally. She knew it was extremely difficult, painful, for him to be vulnerable like this. But he needed to open up to someone. And she knew that, deep down, he knew this, too.

"Sit down, Lord Krayt," Athena said. "This bed is plenty big enough for the both of us."

The Sith Lord raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Athena simply gave him another coy smile.

Darth Krayt rolled his eyes. "You can call me Krayt," he said slowly sitting across from her.

"Alright, Krayt." She grabbed the bottle, and easily pulled the cork out. She took a swig, and handed the bottle to Krayt.

He shook his head in amusement when he looked at the label. "Corellian _whiskey_? I'd have thought a sophisticated woman such as yourself would have more... sophisticated tastes."

Athena frowned at him. "It was aged in a wooden barrel," she explained.

"Ah, well that changes everything. Whiskey aged in a _wooden barrel_ is the height of sophistication," Krayt said, in a mildly mocking tone. He raised the bottle to his mouth, and took a long drag.

Athena gently yanked the bottle away. "You do understand the concept of sharing, I hope." She took another gulp. After changing hands a few more times the bottle was empty.

"I'm quite impressed by this whiskey," Krayt said, his voice mildly slurred. "It's quite strong."

"Indeed. Terrans do prefer their liquor quite strong."

"Strong enough to inebriate a Sith Lord."

"Alcohol has little effect on a Terran," Athena explained.

"So you just wanted to get me drunk enough to talk about my feelings," Krayt's voice was soft, but not without a touch of accusation.

"You're a hard nut to crack. But now you're a bit _hammered_ ," Athena said.

"Hammered," Krayt repeated, shaking his head at the Terran woman's dry sense of humor.

She placed a gentle hand on his knee. "You need to let me help you."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Darth Krayt asked slowly.

There was a brief hesitation before Athena leaned forward, and gave him a brief kiss. "Don't fight it, Krayt," she soothed, sensing his surprise.

* * *

 **He was** struggling to keep his head above the oily black water. But something below the surface had taken hold of him and was gradually pulling him down. It yanked viciously; he managed to close his mouth and eyes just before feeling the vile liquid go above his head. After a long moment his lungs began to burn. He would not be able to do this much longer. Soon... he felt his mouth. The water began to pour down his throat, and into his lungs. And this went on even after he should have succumbed.

There was a sudden, violent jolt, and Darth Krayt found himself lying in Athena's bed. She lay on her back, under his left arm. "Krayt?" she asked, her voice full of concern. He squeezed her, hard. Though he wasn't worried about hurting a woman who could easily break his neck with her bare hands, unaided by the Force. "I didn't think you'd mind me waking you up."

"No," he said simply.

"Talk to me, Krayt."

His expression hardened. Athena let out an exasperated sigh. "Let me in or I never let you so much as shake my hand ever again," she growled. "And... this sure as Hades will never happen again."

"Whatever," Krayt grumbled. "I was basically in... Hades. I was... drowning. The wat... Aether was forcing its way down my throat. Is that good enough? Or would you like me to tell you my entire vaping life story, too?"

"Your life story can wait, Krayt," Athena soothed. "You did very well; I know that was hard."

An awkward silence hung between them for several minutes. "I should go," Darth Krayt finally said. "I have... matters that require my attention."

"Of course. Have fun."

"Have fun," Krayt scoffed. Minutes later he was walking through a narrow tunnel, toward an ersatz access panel. He needed to tread carefully with Athena. The Sith Lord knew she didn't share his devotion to the dark side. Her devotion was to the small remnant of her own people. Someday the two them might enemies. But for now, as much as he hated to admit it, he needed her. In a way he had never imagined he would ever need anyone.

 **A/N: The next chapter will feature a more ideal relationship.**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Errant Venture_** **: orbiting Corellia**

Orion Pax woke up lying on the flight deck of the _Errant Venture_. The lights had come on, and the organics were busy about their various tasks. They were odd little beings, but Orion had quickly come to love the crew of the _Venture_ ; they were family.

Arcee lay just a few meters from Orion. Her sister, Elita One, was behind her with a protective arm around her. Both were still powered down. His right hand was almost touching Arcee's left hand. Light glinted off the many armor panels covering Arcee's body. He'd always thought of her as beautiful, and not just on the outside. She was always there when he needed someone to talk to.

Somehow Arcee had become even more beautiful; it had nothing to do with her current alternate form of a Delta 7B Aethersprite. And Orion had begun to feel a certain affection for her that he hadn't felt before. He found himself wondering what it would look like if they were to combine. What would they be called? Arcion Pax? He liked the sound of that. Arcee had told him how it felt to combined with one or both of her sisters. They truly become one person. He wanted to experience that sort of oneness...

Someone was sending him a transmission. Orion recognized the source as... "Sentinel Prime," he said aloud.

"My brother," transmitted Sentinel.

"I thought you were dead."

"It is a long story, my friend," Sentinel replied. "But it appears there are far more important things afoot at the moment."

"Indeed," Orion agreed. "Are there any others with you?"

"Yes," Sentinel answered. "And we are aboard the _Ark_."

"By Primus, you have brought a miracle, brother," Orion returned with a renewed sense of hope. "And we have our own miracle, the Allspark. You'll never guess how she was found."

"Why would she hide someplace one would guess?" Sentinel asked rhetorically.

"Indeed."

"We will be at your location shortly, assuming it won't cause any disruptions."

"Only to the 'cons," Orion replied.

* * *

 **A few** kilometers outside the _Venture_ 's magcon field appeared a starburst. It coalesced into a ship. "The _Ark_ is here," Orion Pax announced, as the _Vanguard_ -class Deep Space Interceptor approached the Star Destroyer. "I believe this the key to destroying the _Nemesis_."

The craft resembled an elongated horseshoe, with a massive engine to either side. It was rusty yellow-orange in color.

"It looks like something the Mon Calamari would build," Jysella Horn Skywalker mused.

"It's very... rounded," Ben Skywalker agreed, glancing at his pregnant wife's enlarged belly. Jysella rolled her eyes.

Orion found the exchange comical.

"So now us good guys have our own Cybertronian warship?" Ben asked.

"Yes."

"I hope it's bigger than the _Nem_."

"It's smaller," Orion said. "But with the Allspark the Ark will have more than enough firepower to destroy that monstrosity."

"Sounds good to me."

First through the magcon field was Ultra Magnus, who was technically Orion's brother. He was mostly silver-gray and blue, with red accents here and there. His alternate form somewhat resembled an elongated box. The nose was shaped like a tall horseshoe that sloped at the top. Behind this nose were four roughly cylindrical sections, the bottom two being thicker and longer longer than the top two. To either side was a cylindrical engine.

Magnus quickly unfolded into his robot form. The lower cylinders turned into legs, with engines forming over-sized calves, while the upper ones became arms. The nose of the craft changed its shape slightly to become a torso. A head similar to Orion's appeared as this happened.

Next was Sentinel Prime. He was mostly maroon. There was also some black and dark gray. His transformation was quite similar to Ultra Magnus', but left Sentinel with a pair of alloy panels attached at his shoulders. His shoulders were somewhat upswept and almost came to a point. And his face looked truly ancient.

Last to arrive was Jetfire, who'd already chosen an alternate form, an XJ9 X-wing. The craft was mostly white and red with black accents. The top of the nose was red with black teeth hanging down to either side. The cockpit canopy was light blue.

The X-wing turned toward the magcon field as though to leave but then pointed its nose upward. The nose split down the middle, becoming a pair of arms. The cockpit split and became a pair of shoulder pads. The proton torpedo launchers took position above the shoulders. A head, formed partially of the astromech, popped up.

The four wings went onto his back, with the engines and laser cannons shortening and thickening. The underside of the craft, along with part of the aft, became a pair of legs. Much of the top of the craft became covered with white armor paneling, and changed shape slightly to become a torso.

"Grimlock has elected to stay with _Ark_ ," Sentinel noted.

"That's good old Red Eyes for ya," Ironhide commented, as the reunited Autobots greeted each other.

"We have much to discuss," Orion said softly.

 ** _Decimator_**

Megatronus Prime and Megatron sat several meters apart on the _Decimator_ 's flight deck. Megatronus glanced down at his left leg; it had rebuilt itself almost to his knee. It was amazing how quickly he could repair himself with the Force.

Darth Krayt, Queen Mother Athena, and Admiral Natasi Daala's hologram stood across from them, forming the third point of their 'triangle'. Megatronus could sense that something had happened between the former two, yet there seemed to be no sort of emotional bond between them. What Megatronus had shared with Solus was true love, not mere animalistic urges. But what should one expect from an animal? Yet he put his feelings aside. As disgusting as organics were, it seemed that some of them would be useful.

He saw Megatron rest his left hand on his knee. The index finger split at the end to reveal a holoprojector. The air at the center of the triangle seemed to shimmer for a split second as a small rendering of the Corellian system came to life. Ship icons began to pepper the three dimensional image as Soundwave fed him real time data on the enemy forces.

Megatron glanced at Megatronus. "Each of the five planets is equipped with a massive repulsor weapon that could easily cripple the _Nemesis_."

"It should not be too much of a problem," Athena stated. "We can keep several ships nearby to protect the _Nemesis_."

"If we could find a way to connect the Matrix to the _Nemesis_ we'd be able to just about wipe out the enemy forces and take the whole system." Megatron suggested.

"I am sure that can be done," Megatronus said, "though I expect I will have to remain connected to the Matrix." A cautious excitement bled into the Force.

"And our enemies still don't know about Soundwave, or that I should be able to create a battle meditation," Athena said. She turned to Krayt. "We'll have to work on that last bit."

"I look forward to it," Krayt responded. Megatronus had to remind himself that it was better to have these animals as allies rather than adversaries...

Another icon appeared, and resolved itself into yet another type of vessel Megatronus had never seen before. Megatron uttered a Cybertronian curse. "Of course the 'bots have a slagging Vanguard."

"An Autobot warship?" Megatronus ventured.

Megatron nodded. "A _Vanguard_ -class Deep Space Interceptor. I imagine the 'bots will put the Allspark in there. This will be a bit more complicated. But if we jump the _Nemesis_ in at the correct angle, which Soundwave can help with, we may be able to destroy the _Ark_. Athena, Krayt, you should work on that battle meditation, just in case our enemies have other surprises waiting for us."

 **A/N: I'm going for the 'War for Cybertron look' for the Ark.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Corellian system**

"I tried to Force lift a sock this morning," Han was saying. "Dang thing moved less than a dead tauntaun. I can still sense things in the Force a little, but even that's been going away."

"That _socks_ ," Thrace quipped.

Allana rolled her eyes. "I married a dork."

Leia patted her shoulder, and offered a sympathetic smile. "I know what that's like, sweetie."

"You girls are lucky you're so cute," Han commented, with mock seriousness. "How's the great-grand baby doing?"

"Tenel's a bit traumatized by everything that's been going on," Allana said, "but she's okay. She's with Kam and Tionne; they're gonna keep her tonight. The little one's been sleeping in our bed the last few nights."

Han nodded, and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped upon receiving a dirty look his wife.

Allana's brain stem began to tingle in warning. "Stations," she said calmly, as a similar sense of concern spread through the _Venture_.

Everyone quickly abandoned the couch in the _Falcon_ 's main living area. Leia ran to the cockpit while Han and his granddaughter, Mara, headed to the ventral and dorsal quad laser turrets, respectively. Allana and Thrace raced out of the freighter. The redhead snatched up her comlink. "Kre'fey, Allana here. The Axis might be en route." The Axis was short for Axis of Evil, the name given to the coalition of the Decepticons, Empire, and Hapes Consortium.

"Let them come," came the short reply.

Allana bounded up the boarding ramp of the _Sarlagesus_ , essentially a freighter sized B-wing with the speed of an X-wing. Her blue Chiss husband ran toward his X-wing Interceptor, whose wings resembled those of a TIE Interceptor. No sooner had she strapped into the pilot's than Admiral Traest Kre'fey's announced the enemy's arrival. A chill burned through Allana's body as she sensed the dark side apparently radiating from one of the enemy ships, most likely the _Nemesis_ , which she relayed to the Bothan admiral.

The _Sarlagesus_ ' repulsors proceeded to whine as the craft rose into the air and pulled the landing gear in. Allana led her squadron out of the _Venture_ to find the now Force enabled _Nemesis_ viciously exchanging fire with the _Ark_. The _Nemesis_ seemed to be in the worst location possible. The Autobot warship began rotating on its long axis in order to bring more weapons to bear.

Also present among the Axis of Evil's fleet were Star Destroyers, Hapan Battle Dragons, and _Nova_ -class cruisers, with other smaller craft in the mix. And as with the Decepticon warship, these ships were in very inconvenient locations. Was it even possible to do that with a battle meditation? It certainly wouldn't be possible for Darth Krayt to do that, especially after the Allspark had interrupted his battle meditation at the Maw. There must have been a spy.

And as though that were not bad enough, Allana could feel a powerful dark side presence over the enemy forces, coordinating them in a battle meditation. The Jedi Master probed the presence, and realized that it wasn't Darth Krayt. There was another void vaping Sith Lord doing this. She quickly relayed this information to a frustrated Kre'fey.

Allana began to wonder where all the enemy fighters were when new starbursts began to pepper the battlefield, and quickly began transforming into TIE Defenders and Avengers, and Hapan Miy'til fighters.

Allana's danger sense screamed at her; she glanced at the sensors, and groaned upon seeing a YT-1930 freighter leading a swarm of TIEs against her squadron from behind. She could sense Darth Krayt's dark presence aboard the freighter known as the _Eviscerator_. Allana ordered her squadron to turn about and head for Krayt's double squadron. It was a risky move but it was better than having one's back to an enemy. Two squadron mates were blown up in the process, and she felt a brief stab of anguish.

The _Sarlagesus_ ' twin quadlasers and front-mounted doublelaser screamed to vacuum muted life as the droid brain, Evelyn, brought them online. The artificial intelligence began targeting the _Eviscerator_. The YT-1930 and a pair of TIE Avengers blasted toward the _Sarlagesus_ behind six proton torpedoes. Allana and Thrace took four of them, but the other two slammed into the _Sarlagesus_ ' deflector shield. The freighter shook violently, and sparks erupted from somewhere behind the cockpit. Allana could faintly hear the freighter's modified buzz droids skittering about to effect repairs. The attackers would be coming around for another pass...

A nearby X-wing erupted into an orb of flame, the trio of TIE Defenders responsible rushing Allana and Thrace. Her husband hit one of them with a pair of ion cannons, while launching torpedo through the weakened deflector shield and destroying the craft. Allana destroyed another Defender. Mostly. One of its three wings slammed into the _Sarlagesus_ ' shield, jarring Allana in her seat. There were more sparks, both inside and out. More buzz droids scuttled about.

A screaming danger sense caused her to roll the _Sarlagesus_ to the side, narrowly avoiding a hail of torpedoes. Thrace's X-ceptor wasn't so lucky and took a hit to the upper left wing. The Chiss Jedi used the impact to aid in an awkward spin, and tried unsuccessfully to vape the remaining Defender as it sped away. The TIE went into a wide loop and joined up with a returning _Eviscerator_ and its pair of TIE Avengers.

Allana put the _Sarlagesus_ into a hard turn that made her mildly nauseous, but put her facing the approaching enemy. And six proton torpedoes. They were too blasted close for her to take out with her own torpedoes. She flipped the _Sarlagesus_ onto its side, while Evelyn attempted to take out the enemy ordnance with the quadlasers and doublelaser. The droid brain managed to vape two torpedoes. But the remaining four were still coming. And so was the _Eviscerator_.

Allana checked the sensors and saw that her husband was occupied with the three TIEs. They were going to die. Their six year old daughter was about to lose both her parents. Darth Krayt was about to gain the Throne of Balance, because Allana wouldn't be there to...

 _Stop him!_ She brought the _Sarlagesus_ up to full speed. Krayt would also die today. The Throne of Balance would not fall to... There was a great boom, followed by a sizzling shower of sparks. Allana lurched forward in her restraints. She fired a pair of proton torpedoes, followed by another pair. And Krayt avoided every single one of them. The _Sarlagesus_ emptied its entire magazine. The Dark Man was still alive. _And I'm vaping dead._

A pair of ragged orange energy beams collided with the remaining torpedoes, detonating them mere meters from the besieged freighter. Another orange energy beam slammed into the _Eviscerator_ 's deflector shield, and the YT-1930 broke off its attack.

One of the TIE Avengers attacking Thrace exploded under the wrath of two ragged orange energy beams. A Y-wing, moving faster than such a craft should be able to, blasted toward the remaining pair of TIEs. The Y-wing seemed to break apart. The two nacelles slid forward on their pylons, and the maneuvering rings were pulled in. The quartets of fingers surrounding the nacelles' domes moved forward and bent. The domes parted into four sections, each of which became claw in between a pair of 'fingers'; this resulted in a pair of bestial, eight fingered hands. One of these hands slammed into the wing of the TIE Defender, causing it to slam into the TIE Avenger. Both ships lit up in a short lived fireball.

The Y-wing as it continued to transform, with the cockpit and the front portion of the neck behind it splitting down the middle, and becoming a pair of legs with three claw-like toes for each foot. The cockpit sections each rotated so the previously flared out sections became calves.

The very rear of the craft split to become a pair of squarish shoulder pads. The two larger laser cannons positioned themselves over the shoulders. The smaller pair of laser cannons were in a recessed area in his chest.

A grayish head appeared. It was composed partly of the astromech droid, with a curved horn extending from the forehead. A pair of crimson optics burned beneath a heavy brow. His maw had three jaws, arrayed like a triangle.

Grimlock really did look like a Decepticon to Allana. And he didn't seem to be bothered by killing people, like the rest of the Autobots. But he'd just saved her and her husband's lives. Grimlock disappeared from her view. "Lower far right shield," instructed a voice that sounded like two pieces of durasteel grating against each other. "Take to big ship. Safe," added the brutish voice. Allana did so and then felt an impact as the Autobot somehow clamped onto the 'wing' of the _Sarlagesus_. "Big ship safe," added the brutish voice. Allana felt herself being pushed back into her seat as the freighter lurched forward.

"Thanks Grimlock." He didn't respond, but that was fine. He simply wasn't much of a talker.

"I'll come with you," Thrace commed. "My 'ceptor's a bit bungled."

Allana barely heard her husband as another sense of alarm came over her. The warning felt... broad, as though many could be effected. She frowned; what were the worst things that had at least a somewhat reasonable chance of going wrong?


	6. Chapter 6

**Corellia**

Explosions erupted along the hull of a teardrop shaped Mon Calamari Star Defender. The deflector shield flared with red-orange veining under the assault of a pair of Mark II Star Destroyers. The Imperial vessels were situated above and below the Alliance vessel, at just enough of an angle so that they could bring a weapons trench to bear. The Defender's deflector shield began to practically glow as the Mon Cal vessel attempted to turn on its long axis in order to successfully return fire. But it was proven futile as seconds later the protective energy bubble shattered like a glass vase. The hapless vessel was violently reduced to scraps of shrapnel. It was the fourth capital ship of the Ally fleet to suffer this fate. Several other capital ships were also going that way. Ally fighter squadrons were also being overwhelmed. The Ally fleet had been caught off guard by the arrival of such precisely placed, and coordinated Axis forces.

Elita One and Arcee had combined into Arcita, and were fighting against the combined form of Starscream and his spark mate. Ironhide and Chromia were under siege by swarms of Axis fighters, who refused to let them combine into Chromhide. Meanwhile Ultra Magnus was occupied with Blackout.

Sentinel Prime hated war, with all its death and destruction. But sadly it was often necessary for the greater good. He and Orion Pax were headed toward Megatron, who was unfolding from his alternate form of a Sith Fury Interceptor. Sentinel could sense that someone had a target lock on him, and shunted some power to his deflector...

He felt a violent impact as a pair of some sort of missiles slammed into his energy shield. A nearby satellite was coming apart, reforming itself into a Cybertronian man. Attached to each forearm was an energy weapon; a longer one was over his right shoulder. He was mostly blue, with matte silver upper legs and upper arms. His head was quite similar to Orion Pax's. The same sort of shield covered his mouth and nose. But his cheeks were hollow and resembled some sort of air intakes. His optics were a glowing red with just a hint of gold.

The assailant delivered a savage kick to Sentinel's chest, driving a blade-like foot into him. The Decepticon pulled it out, tearing machinery out of Sentinel's chest. The blue Decepticon continued to land more blows. A orange gout of rage slammed into him, followed by one of Grimlock's fists.

"Go, _Ark_ safe," Grimlock commed.

Yes, Sentinel had to get to the _Ark_. The damaged Autobot encountered virtually no resistance on his way to the Deep Space Inercerptor. The access hatch opened for him just as he came to the side of the ship; it closed behind him shortly after he entered the ship. The Autobot leader headed to the bridge to find Bumblebee at the helm, sitting behind several monitors. The yellow and black Autobot turned his concerned optics to his leader. "Are you alright, Sentinel?"

"Not enough to remain in the battle out there, but I can keep the _Ark_ running well enough," Sentinel responded. He sensed the smaller Autobot receiving a quick transmission.

Bumblebee brought his attention back to one of the monitors. "We may have some trouble coming," he warned gravely. He got out of his seat, his left forearm transforming into a energy weapon, while the left became a long, serrated blade. Another energy weapon formed above each of his shoulders. A mask resembling the face of a bee slid down over his face. And then he opened fire on Sentinel; the blast burned deeper into his already damaged chest and slammed him into the bulkhead behind him. Bumblebee blasted toward him with his calf thrusters. Sentinel rolled out of the way, just before the smaller Autobot could impale him, and returned to his feet.

Pit slaggit! Bumblebee knew. One of the Jedi must have seen something in the Force and warned him. That had to be why he had been sent that transmission. Sentinel felt sick within his spark. Bumblebee was a good kid; he did not deserve what was coming. But the Cybertronians were destroying each other, and with their only means of reproducing taken away they could become extinct. The war needed to end, and both sides would need to come together and compromise. The Decepticons thought the Cybertronians should rule this galaxy. Let them. The Autobots would be there to guide them and ensure that their rule did not become tyrannical.

Sentinel Prime pulled his solar rifle and sword from his back. He barely managed to deflect a slash from Bumblebee's own vibrating sword. Sentinel's sword began glowing orange as he swung it toward his opponent's right shoulder, hammering it against the armature of the energy cannon. There was a brief eruption of sparks and the cannon went dead.

Bumblebee leapt back, still firing with his remaining weapons, to evade another slash from Sentinel's thermal sword. A golden shaft of light exploded from the maroon Autobot's rifle, and slammed into Bumblebee's chest. Sentinel swept his scalding hot sword at his opponent's chest, melting some of the armor paneling and machinery; light green liquid energon sprayed into the lack of atmosphere aboard the _Ark_. Sentinel wanted this act of murder to over. All it would take was one more blow...

Without warning a hail of laser and ion fire crashed into Sentinel Prime's back. He spun around just as Chromia slammed into him. The female Cybertronian flew backward, before Sentinel could bring his sword to bear, and opened fire again. She strengthened her deflector shield, minimizing a blast from Sentinel's solar rifle. He tried to hit her with his sword, but in his damaged state he could manage no more than a glancing blow against her shield. Chromia delivered a vicious kick to Sentinel's face. That was a mistake; he swung his sword, burning into her side. Melting alloy turned into steam. The smaller blue Autobot tried to blast away from Sentinel, but he let go of his sword and grabbed onto her ankle...

Something burned into his back. Sentinel's grasp faltered, allowing Chromia to break free. Sentinel took back his sword, floating in the _Ark_ 's lack of gravity. He engaged the thrusters on his back, and blasted toward Chromia. The Cybertronian woman spun away from Sentinel's sword and solar rifle, leaving him a clear shot for the access hatch. He fired at the access hatch, which opened before the blast could hit. Sentinel Prime blasted out into space, and headed for the _Nemesis_. Chromia didn't follow after him, as she had to stay with the _Ark_.

Sentinel quickly found his way to one of the _Nemesis_ ' access hatches. Whoever was operating the Decepticon warship let him in. The former Autobot leader found a wall and tractor beamed himself to it so that he wouldn't float freely.

Megatron had ordered Sentinel Prime to destroy the Allspark. He had failed, and his betrayal of the people he loved had been for nothing. His Autobot comrades would never trust him again, especially not after his attempted murder of Bumblebee... and Chromia. It was really the attempted murder of the many thousands of people in the Ally fleet. Without a Force capable ship to take on the _Nemesis_ , the Ally forces would have been overwhelmed. The only ones who would take Sentinel in now were people he hated.

...

Several minutes ago, Admiral Traest Kre'fey had ordered Jaina Solo Fel's Flaming Swords Squadron and Ben Skywalker's Twin Suns Squadron to attack the _Nemesis_. That would be ineffective on its own; there was clearly another piece to the puzzle. The Alliance fleet was suffering heavy losses, and if it kept up the Axis of Evil would take the Corellian system. That could not be allowed to happen.

Jetfire sensed two enemy contacts, both TIE Avengers, behind him and unfolded into his robot form. He spun around, so that he was flying backward and fired an ion torpedo between them. It detonated, creating a bluish web of energy over each of the TIEs' deflector shields. Four bursts of red laser fire from Jetfire's cannons burned through one of the weakened shields, annihilating the craft within. The _Millennium Falcon_ 's quad guns finished of the other TIE. It was for this purpose, to eliminate pursuit from behind, that Jetfire and the _Falcon_ were stationed at the rear of what had been dubbed Flaming Suns Squadron.

The dark, ominous form of the _Nemesis_ , loomed ever larger as Flaming Suns continued their approached. The pale green weapons fire of the Decepticon warship clashed with the bright blue fire from the _Ark_. Both their deflector shields rippled angrily, and explosions, not yet catastrophic, began to tear through their hulls.

Below the _Nemesis_ , relatively speaking, was a disabled Mon Cal cruiser. The Decepticon warship had left it alone in order to conserve energy for the _Ark_. Flaming Suns was nearly in range to commence their strafing run when an invisible fist slammed into the Mon Cal cruiser. The impact slammed the exploding vessel into the underside of the _Nemesis_. That area of the Decepticon warship's deflector shield pulsed and throbbed a hateful orange. The _Ark_ diverted much of its fire to this wound, while the X-wings and other craft in Flaming Suns proceeded to open fire with their lasers and torpedoes. Jetfire sent off a pair of high yield torpedoes. The squadron pulled away in order to come around for another pass. A massive explosion blossomed from the _Nemesis_ ; its impact was magnified by the proximity of what had once been a Mon Cal vessel.

Jetifire hated what Admiral Kre'fey had just done. Thousands of people had just been killed... But what else could be done? If the Axis fleet won this battle, thousands more lives would be lost. Those who had been aboard the Mon Calamari vessel would have died anyway.

The _Nemesis_ began pulling away as Flaming Suns Squadron came back for another pass. The _Ark_ 's merciless barrage continued to weaken the Decepticon warship's deflector shield, and it would only be a few minutes until Corellia's planetary was ready to fire again. Two X-wings detonated under the _Nemesis_ ' fire as the monstrous ship blasted toward the edge of Corellia's gravity well. The faster fighters made it to their target and fired away; there was a large explosion, and the _Nemesis_ ' shield sparked. The Decepticon warship seemed to stretch before vanishing into hyperspace.

Jetfire wasn't surprised to see that the rest of the Axis fleet was fleeing. With the _Nemesis_ gone the _Ark_ was no longer occupied. The Autobot warship managed to destroy three enemy Star Destroyers before they could escape. A number of Axis ships were stranded, and quickly destroyed. Jetfire surveyed the battlefield; both sides had taken heavy, but the Allies had taken the brunt of things.


End file.
